(Put on your) Doll faces
by whenthemarshmallowmettheslayer
Summary: "Are you atheist Rockbell?" The man asks like one would talk about the weather as Edward's spear still presses into his lightly bleeding throat. There's something in his eye. What it is though Edward can't put a name to it. Then suddenly the spear breaks in his hands. Edward's golden eyes are wide in disbelief as the piece of the spear he isn't holding clatters to the floor.


A/N: Originally posted on ao3 under the pen name youngjusticewriter and part of the Elrics Through the Looking Glass series. Warning: Edward cusses.

Original author's note: I swear I didn't write this just because these two are some of my favorites of Fma and their views of religion are interesting.

The main reasons I wrote this was:

1.) Bradley is important and I don't get why he's not in more Ishavalan!Elrics aus. In 003 he is the one that states that they've found their state alchemist for the year and in Brotherhood he is a major part of Edward's assessment aka he's the one that gets a lance pointed right at him. I think Bradley would find Edward a bit interesting, besides obviously being one of his Father's sacrifices, because Edward was an Ishvalan that doesn't pray to his God. Edward is a person to walk on his own to feet and use his fists to "strike down" (or to be more accurate: punch) his enemies while searching to get Al his body back. Bradley would also be the one to put his foot down and allow Ed to be a state alchemist despite being Ishvalan because he wants his Father's sacrifices close.

2.) The Ishvalans were right. The Ishvalans don't like alchemy because it allows fellow man to play God. When Edward faces Truth (whose the God of the Fma universe) Edward gave the right answer by giving up his alchemy aka his ability to play God.

* * *

Although I'm only fourteen, I know quite well what I want. I know who is right and who is wrong. I have my opinions, my own ideas and principles, and although it may sound pretty mad from an adolescent, I feel more of a person than a child. I feel quite independent of anyone.

\- Anne Frank

* * *

The metal of spear is cold agansit his palm. Not the auto mail one but the flesh one that's shades darker than anyone else's in the state exam room that is silent as fox until it's too late. Edward wonders if he's the prey instead of the predator even as he has weapon slightly digging into the pale throat of the Führer who has laugh lines and not a single grey hair. Edward is angry at that even though he of all people know looks can be deceiving.

The Fuhrer fucking smiles at him. Warm and friendly. It's such shit and he fights the urge to dig the weapon further into the man's throat just so King Bradley's flesh stings as he bleeds. (He doesn't because there is Al. His brother needs him and that is something that will always take place before anything else.) It also makes Edward's stomach turn because the man who ordered the slaughter of his mom's people - of his mom to be slaughtered if a soldier ever came a cross her, for Alphonse to be slaughtered if they knew what he was, knew what Ed was - looks like a nice grandfather that'd take you fishing and tell you lame jokes.

The man tilts his head back, pressing his pale throat further into metal and oh there's the blood Edward wanted, and he has the gall to laugh. It's grating as fuck but Edward is too surprised at the fact the man has some actually balls to have a fit about not being taken seriously (let him, a nasty and logical part of him that is cold as the weapon in his hands and as cold as the auto mail that is his hand thinks, let the rodents believe they're safe until they're in the unyielding and unforgiving jaws of the fox - until they are in his jaws).

The Fuhrer lifts a hand in the air at his men who have their guns pointing at Ed. He stops laughing only to smile so wild Edward can see all his teeth. Suddenly he's reminded of the tale Granny once told Winry, Al, and him about when more reinforcement soldiers and alchemists - living weapons, dogs of the military, the military's murderous bitches if you wanted to have an even more crude of a way to refer to a state alchemists - had come through Resembool and their mom had to stay hidden in attic in fear of not only her life but theirs.

The story Granny had told them was about a wolf that pretended to be the stupid little girl's grandmother before he ate her. The little girl had ate the flesh of grandmother and drank her blood as well before be eaten. She also had said something about how big her grandmother's big teeth had been.

It's that - the teeth - that sticks, that haunts, Edward right now as the Fuhrer smiles warmly down on him even as blood trickles down on his uniform.

"Are you atheist Rockbell?" The man asks like one would talk about the weather as Edward's spear still presses into his lightly bleeding throat. There's something in his eye. What it is though Edward can't put a name to it.

Then suddenly the spear breaks in his hands. Edward's golden eyes are wide in disbelief as the piece of the spear he isn't holding clatters to the floor. It's the only noise in the room.

It's wrong (and he was right).

He hadn't even seen the man active an array or pull out that sword he carries. Edward suddenly feels his age. He feels more like a dumb kid than when Fuhrer had laughed at him.

But that's not what matters right now.

"No, I'm not," he answers and thinks of room of all white and a white creature with teeth. He thinks of the world, of the universe, of God, and of himself. He thinks of an Ishvalan God that demands alchemy is a sin against Him. He thinks of the taboo that is human transmutation.

The truth is Edward doesn't know what he is.

He just knows what he must do to get his brother his body back and that is what matters.

"But your willing to walk on your two feet and are willing to strike with your own hands if the need arose instead of praying to your God?"

Edward stares at Fuhrer of their nation as if he's fucking idiot. Edward knows he's not considering the whole lance thing that took place less than five minutes ago but that was a really fucking stupid question.

"I've got a pair of two get feet and hands. Of course I'm gonna walk on them and punch with them despite what my mechanic threatens me."

There's something like approval in the man's eyes before he walks off. Edward doesn't know how to feel about that.


End file.
